having some issues with front squat, even though my form seems good.

There is no one to check my form yet until my buddy comes over and he lives in Virginia. Basically, I'm having knee stiffness when I wake up. I know I have some inflammation in my right knee. I went to front squat last week and lowered the weight and went almost ass to grass and my left knee hurt. I don't know what I did wrong. I front squatted today and started with an empty bar. My knees felt stiff still. After I added the weight I was going to squat and did my first set, my knees felt better and weren't stiff anymore no pain in either knee at all. Midway through my second set I developed pain in my left knee, but it was no where near as bad as last week. On my third set my left knee was still hurting but less than it was in my second set. The pain was below and on the knee cap.

I'm going to guess tendon. I'll have pain by the tendons. Hopefully it's not cartilage damage. I was wondering also if the stiffness could be a result of me switching to shoes with an arch support. I think I may have always had flat feet and never realized it because, well no one told me about the condition, until I finally noticed last year. I've been wearing these shoes since January, so it's really the first time ever I've had an arch. I thought maybe the stiffness could be a result of the knee joints adjusting to my arches. Not only do I have flat feet, but the doctor said I was one of the worst cases he's ever seen. This could explain why my spine is slightly curved. I'm upset no one caught this while I was young. Who knows what kind of knee and joint damage I may have.

Thats rough. I cant see your motion so its hard to say nor am I a professional in that field. You seem to be onto something though, but its hard to believe that 4 months later your feeling the strain of new shoes with an arch. Hmmm

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.
Franz Kafka

Does it get stiff to the point where you can barely bend your knee for a few days? The pain and stiffness is behind the knee moreso the front? If so, it sounds like cartlidge and not tendon. Many people, including myself, don't know that they may have a minor tear in their miniscus until it gets to the point where the pain/stiffness gets unbearable, or you eventually "pop" it. I've had two meniscectomies so I'm familiar with them.

The stiffness happens above the knees. The pain when squating happens on the knees. It feels like the pain is on top rather than behind the knees. I've been having soreness on the other side of my right knee. A few weeks a go I pulled something and it hasn't been the same since, however it has gotten better and I'll hear this cracking sometimes around that area.

It could be issues with patella tracking. The entire lateral aspect of your leg may be tight and over active, and over powering the medial aspect (inner part). This is common. If your outer quads and outer hamstring are tight, including your IT band and lateral calf....and your VMO and medial hamstrings are not as developed, then your patella gets pulled to the outside of your leg. As this happens, you'll feel pain around the knee cap.

Its worth seeing a specialist to get an actual diagnosis if its ongoing.

It could be issues with patella tracking. The entire lateral aspect of your leg may be tight and over active, and over powering the medial aspect (inner part). This is common. If your outer quads and outer hamstring are tight, including your IT band and lateral calf....and your VMO and medial hamstrings are not as developed, then your patella gets pulled to the outside of your leg. As this happens, you'll feel pain around the knee cap.

Its worth seeing a specialist to get an actual diagnosis if its ongoing.

Br

I'm not even sure insurance will cover it, I have free ****ty insurance. Well my prescriptions only cost $1 but a lot of stuff they won't cover. They don't even cover chiropractors, my step dad has to crack my back and he's not licensed, but if he doesn't crack my back, I can get really hurt on deadlifts.

Guys I'm pretty sure its inflammation. If I sleep with my legs elevated I'm fine, if I don't I wake up and feel swelling in my right leg and a burning sensation around my right knee. I'm guessing this is tendinitis. Now the stiffness in my knees are gone, but my right knee gets sore a lot and the swelling has gone down but not away. Should I stop squatting for a bit? I really don't think I can see a sports related doctor. I think my insurance only covers therapy and surgeries and stuff like that, but not chiropractors or any special treatment, hell most dentists don't take my insurance.

You're 23, chances are you plan to lift and be active for the rest of your life, right?

You can guess and we can hypothesize what is wrong with your knee, but unless we know for certain what it is, its not going to get better. In fact, its only going to get worse. Its like driving around for 30k miles with your check engine light on in your car.

Stop buying supplements and use that money to get a professional opinion/diagnosis. Your insurance may not cover all of it...but its going to cost you a lot less money, time, and pain then having to get a major surgery done down the road.

This issue seems to have been resolved on it's own at least for the most part. I went swimming a few days ago and it seemed to help out my knee stiffness. I squatted yesterday and had no stiffness and no pain at all. I still feel minor swelling in my right knee when I wake up but it seems to be almost gone and not effected at all from me doing squats or deadlifts. I had the idea since I have flat feet, maybe my feet were moving over my insoles in my shoes while I was lifting. So, I tighten my shoes up and after each set I untied my shoes, tighten them and retied them.